By seven-thirty, Mother and I were standing in front of the elevator, along with a family of six, the kids ranging in age from eight to toddler. I wished my children could have joined me on this trip, but my daughter, Jenna, a high school junior who dreamt of becoming an astronaut, hadn’t wanted to miss her SAT study classes. Ben, my seven-year-old, couldn’t afford to miss his second-grade classes either. Although my son hadn’t been officially diagnosed with ADHD, he possessed “attention discovery disorder.” Everything outside the classroom seemed far more interesting than what was happening on the pages of his textbooks.
I pictured Ben giggling with his best friend, Kristy, already almost twice his size. The young girl would top my five foot four and a quarter by fourth grade. Kristy took after her six-foot-three father, Detective Tom Hunter, my on-again off-again boyfriend. I sighed as I pictured Tom’s broad shoulders and thick chestnut hair, which occasionally grew past regulation length when he was too busy hunting down murderers to squeeze in a haircut.
Unfortunately, in the six weeks that we’d been seeing each other again, our dates were as infrequent as his visits to Super Haircuts. I’d hoped that a week together in a tropical setting would heat up our relationship, but Tom cancelled two days before we were scheduled to leave, ostensibly to hover over his latest crime scene.
Why couldn’t I find a boyfriend who preferred to hover over me?
Maybe his official duties weren’t the real problem. Perhaps he wasn’t interested in me. I was beginning to think it was time to move on. The elevator’s ping coincided with the plummeting of my heart at the thought of Tom and me breaking up.
We hadn’t even had a chance to ping together!
Mother’s cell rang as we stepped out of the elevator into the enormous open-air lobby of the Regal Kona Resort. It didn’t take a detective to detect the call was from her new husband. Her rose-infused cheeks and giggles reinforced my deduction. Liz and Brian strolled toward us, their arms wrapped around each other’s waists. They wore matching blue-flowered shirts and smiles.
Liz’s wake-up call had obviously been more arousing than mine.
I was surrounded by people talking and thinking about sex. Enough to make a person gag. Speaking of which, Stan approached dressed in fluorescent floral attire, wearing a straw hat large enough to provide shade for a family of four.
“Nice chapeau,” I remarked.
He grinned. “Got it on clearance for fifty percent off. Can you believe it?”
Sure could. But if the wind died down, his hat would make an excellent fan. And if the engine quit, we could use the hat to propel the boat.
Brian went to claim his rental car from the valet while the rest of us stopped at a grass-roofed kiosk for four Kona coffees to go. My cell rang just as I finished doctoring my coffee. My heart sang, hoping the call was from Tom.
I dug in my purse and grabbed the phone. Once I identified the caller, I told my heart to dial it back a notch.
“Hey, Dave,” I said. “Are you on your way to the boat?” I picked up the steaming cup and sipped.
“No, I can’t go with you guys. I have to meet the police.”
My cup missed my lips, but not my navy T-shirt. I asked my brother to hold while I blotted a half cup of coffee from my chest.
“Why are you meeting with the police?” I asked, fearful of his answer.
“A body was found on the rocks below the restaurant. They need access inside.”
My stomach clenched at the image of someone lying on the lava rocks far below the building. “How awful. Did they give you any details?”
“No. I assume the tide carried the person there, but I can’t imagine who would go swimming in that area. The current is far too dangerous.” Dave’s voice cracked as he said, “I only hope it isn’t anyone I know.”
Chapter 4
Dave’s news bummed everyone out, but realistically we realized there wasn’t anything our group could do to help him. I knew it would be a trying experience whether Dave personally knew the victim or not. I hoped for my brother’s sake that the answer was “not.”
Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the Kailua pier. Brian easily located the parking lot recommended for seafaring tourists. We grabbed our assorted beach gear and headed for the boat. Foreign-speaking passengers from the enormous cruise ship anchored in the bay wandered around wearing confused expressions. Several companies offered morning boating expeditions, so the pier was awash in aloha-shirted, fanny-pack-wearing tourists.
The strangely pleasant scent of fish and seaweed reminded me of childhood vacations along the California coast. Eventually we located our boat, the Sea Jinx. The name of our vessel didn’t enthrall me, but I was pleased it appeared to be immaculate and roomy.